Ikea rumour circles again

Ikea

The most recent chatter on the
internet has Ikea setting up shop on land in the Townline and Pinebush
roads area of Cambridge, near Highway 401.

Alas, for local fans of the Swedish-based home furnishings giant, the rumour is still not true.

“On and off, that rumour has always
been in the wind,” said Cambridge Chamber of Commerce chief executive
Greg Durocher. “But, as far as I know as of today, no, it is not
coming.”

Ikea Canada says it has no plans to move to Cambridge anytime soon.

“We are continually reviewing our
expansion opportunities in Canada, but at this time there is no store
planned for Cambridge,” said company spokesperson Madeleine
Löwenborg-Frick.

“Our properties team is of course
always active in exploring the Canadian marketplace, but Cambridge is
not slated for a store at this time.”

The Townline-Pinebush roads location is just the latest of many rumoured Ikea sites in Waterloo Region over the past decade.

There once was speculation Ikea would
go into the former Sam’s Club store at the southwest corner of
Conestoga Boulevard and Pinebush Road, but that property was bought and
redeveloped by Canadian Tire.

The Sunrise Shopping Centre property
at Ottawa Street and Fischer-Hallman Road in Kitchener was also a focus
of Ikea speculation. Years earlier, there were rumours the company would
build on the site of the old Lulu’s Roadhouse in Kitchener.

Victoria Street North in Kitchener and the Sportsworld area have also been on the Ikea rumour list in the past.

There is even a “Bring Ikea to
Kitchener-Waterloo” Facebook page. Of course, there are also dozens of
other “Bring Ikea to …” pages on Facebook, started by people in cities
such as London, Ont., Halifax, N.S. and St. John’s, Nfld.

For now, as far as this market goes,
Ikea is focused on expanding its store in Burlington. The company
announced plans last year to build a 428,500-square-metre store on 10
hectares of land on the northwest corner of Walkers Line and the QEW. It
would be 71 per cent bigger than the current store on Plains Road.

Durocher said the rumour of an Ikea
in Cambridge near the 401 has been making the rounds for at least three
years, and it would be great if it were true.

“I think this is an obvious location for a store for them because it gives them that central Ontario marketplace,” he said.